The National Cancer Institute estimates that in the United States one in three people will be afflicted with cancer. Moreover, approximately 50% to 60% of people with cancer will eventually die from the disease. Early intervention and targeted therapeutic treatment are needed to increase cancer survival. The present invention relates to methods for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
In particular, myeloid leukemia may present as a slow-growing chronic phase with cells able to undergo differentiation (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, CML) or as a more aggressive and fast-growing acute phase with cells that are unable to differentiate (Acute Myeloid Leukemia, AML). There is a need in the art for methods of distinguishing the various stages of myeloid leukemia and predicting responsiveness of leukemias to types of chemotherapeutics. In addition, there is a need for methods of screening cancer for chemotherapeutic sensitivity and for developing novel therapeutics.